Artist's Color Wheel — Color Harmonies, Tints & Shades

Explore color harmonies, shades, and hues for your next masterpiece. Simply choose a base hue on the color wheel, select a harmony rule, and instantly copy the generated palettes and tints.

Try:

Lightness 50%

#FF0000

RGB

255, 0, 0

HSL

0°, 100%, 50%

Color Harmonies

Harmony Mode

Digital (RGB / Screen) Model

Tints & Shades

Recommended Physical Pencils

Looking to use these colors in real life? Check out these highly-rated colored pencil sets (Affiliate Links):

Corslet Set of 123 Premium Colour Pencils A massive set of 120 vibrant, soft core pencils. Perfect for shading, sketching, and intricate adult coloring books. Includes 3 extra sketching tools to complete your kit. View on Amazon →

Corslet 75 Pc Pencil Colour Set A complete artist's bundle featuring 72 rich colored pencils, plus an eraser and sharpener. Soft cores lay down smooth, blendable color for any creative project. View on Amazon →

How to use

Select a base hue by dragging the main selector around the large color wheel.
Adjust the lightness of your base color using the slider below the wheel.
Choose a color harmony rule from the dropdown (Complementary, Triadic, etc.).
Click on any generated swatch or tint to copy its HEX code instantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are complementary colors?

Complementary colors are pairs of colors which, when combined, cancel each other out by producing a grayscale color like white or black. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast for those two colors, making each other appear brighter.

How does the color wheel tool work?

Simply click and drag the main selector on the color wheel to choose your base hue. The tool will automatically calculate mathematically accurate color harmonies (like triadic or split-complementary) and display variations of lightness (tints and shades).

Did you know?

Sir Isaac Newton invented the first color wheel in 1666 to map the color spectrum.
Monochromatic color schemes are incredibly easy on the eyes and often used in modern web design for a clean, cohesive look.
Analogous colors are found next to each other on the color wheel and frequently occur in nature, making them universally pleasing.

Related tools

Palette Generator→ Color Explorer→ Color Converter→